Harvard student celebrates Pandian's class

Karthik Pandian, associate professor in the Department of Art, Film, and Visual Studies, taught the class that made Solis fall in love with art. He said Soltis stood out from the beginning for her “openness” to the “process-driven ways of making art” and her “commitment” to creativity.

Many students, Pandian said, approach assignments with an eye toward the professor’s goals to get a good grade. But in his class, he said, assignments are open-ended, and students are encouraged to be open to serendipity, which can be frustrating to some.

“With Daniela, I got the sense that she was seeking a space like this throughout her studies at Harvard,” said Pandian, “and when she found it in the studio in the Carpenter Center, she leapt through the portal, so to speak, into her own very deep well of creativity and embraced the unknown. She constantly surprised me throughout the semester.” Read More.